Russia builds national missile defense, still hopes for cooperation with the West

he U.S. and its NATO allies rejected Russia’s sectoral and cooperative approach to the European missile defense project

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MOSCOW, February 14 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia keeps building the national missile defense system and still hopes to cooperate with the West, General Staff Chief Gen. Nikolai Makarov told reporters on Tuesday.

“We are closely watching the creation of the U.S. missile defense network and see the deployment of interceptor missiles in Poland and Romania as the final phase of the program,” he said. The U.S. and its NATO allies rejected Russia’s sectoral and cooperative approach to the European missile defense project. “We will build our own missile defense system. We will implement the plans in the Kaliningrad region and other areas,” Makarov said.

As for the U.S. missile defense, the general said, “So far the systems deployed in Europe do not stretch beyond the Russian borders.” He worries though that the modernized Standard missiles will be able to reach the Russian territory. “Unfortunately, we have not received a single answer to our proposals and questions from our NATO partners concerning missile defense. The U.S. dictates its will and creates its missile defense,” he said.